Lounging Beverly Koepplin

I was lounging, unabashedly and without remorse,

even though I had writing to be done, 

plants hoarsely crying for water,

and a kitchen floor screaming dirty words at me.

And this is how it all started.

I laid down on the sofa to contemplate lounging,

soft pillow under my head, 

a bowl of ripe round glistening cherries at hand,

And a slight, temperate breeze caressing my bare skin.

I thought I should look up the meaning of the word “lounge”

so I would know exactly what to write about.

Grabbing my smartphone (also conveniently at hand), 

I accessed my Dictionary.

“Lounge” means to pass time, idly and indolently,

To rest or recline indolently, loll,

To go or move in a leisurely, indolent manner, saunter.

I decided I could lounge, it seemed doable,

and I also decided I liked the word indolent a lot.

It seemed to go hand in hand with lounging.

While I was trying to find the perfect position 

in which to lounge,

the house phone rang.  It was not conveniently at hand.

I got up grudgingly to find the handset, 

vowing to return to lounging ASAP.

Seconds after I abruptly terminated the call 

from an insurance salesperson,

I was back on the sofa, conjugating the verb “lounge” thusly –

I had been lounging, and I was currently lounging.

And when the doorbell rang, I muttered to myself 

“and I will be lounging again.”

After I got rid of the earnest young man 

who could sell me steaks at a good price

because he had been delivering them next door 

to my neighbor (ha!), I returned to the sofa.

Making sure the house phone was close and my door locked,

I laid down again, rearranged the pillow, 

and reached for a cherry.

Ah, I thought as I dangled the cherry above my mouth, 

I could grow to like lounging.

I decided to give lounging some more time 

to be sure I had the process right

I snuggled deeper into the soft pillow, 

turned my head to the breeze,

and let my mind drift hither, tither and yon, almost indolently.

At some point, the drifting found a home in sleep,

and I awoke to discover that, yes, I could indeed lounge

and that furthermore my writing was all done 

in my head and needed just to be put to paper.

As I got up, I thought to myself that I could definitely

Find room in my future for more indolent lounging.

After all, I seemed to excel at it.  Who knew?